KILLIE NEWS. A Publication of the Minnesota Killie Keepers Association An affiliate of the American Killifish Association (AKA) September 2008

Transcription

1 KILLIE NEWS A Publication of the Minnesota Killie Keepers Association An affiliate of the American Killifish Association (AKA) September 2008 Minnesota Killie Keepers Association Board of Directors President: Milo Squires Secretary: John Aldrich milosquires@chaska.net killifisher@msn.com Treasurer: Craig Rees Editor: Robin Engelking killifish777@comcast.net raqbe@usinternet.com General Member: Carter McAninch _carter_mc@excite.com Committee Positions: Show Chairs: Milo Squires & Craig Rees Web Master: Robert Carter fishkeeperbob@comcast.net Web Site: Table of Contents: Page 2 MN Group Kicks Field Goal & Nearly Wins Game By Bob Wolter Page 4 Ep. Dageti monroviae but it has a Nice Personality By Bob Wolter Page 5 Club communications Page 7 Letter from the Colorado Killie Club Page Class Sponsors Page 9 Meeting Notice & directions to Canterbury Page 10 Calendar of Events From the Editor: The show is looming large on the horizon and I want to encourage everyone to enter a pair of fish. Killies are the easiest fish you will ever show. The club supplies the tank and water. All you need to do is bring a pair of fish! Bob Carter and I have been doing show registration for the past couple of years. Please help us out by pre-registering your fish. Send your name along with the scientific name(s) of the fish you are entering. We will figure out which class it is in, and when you bring your finny friend to the show, we will present you with your completed registration materials and no waiting! me at raqbe@usinternet.com with the above information and we ll see you at the show! Happy fish keeping! Robin Page 1

2 The Tuesday August 12 th meeting was held in the meeting room of Craig Rees apartment complex. (This is also where the hospitality will be held Saturday night.) Present were John Aldrich, Robin Engelking, Frank Grund, Margie Johnson, Jen Kruckenberg, Carter McAninch and Craig Rees. Minnesota Group Kicks Field Goal and Nearly Wins Game. By Bob Wolter Does this sound like Vikings football news? Well this is just as important, perhaps even more so! When first joining the AKA, you couldn t help but noticing how young everyone else was. The AKA National Conventions had a plethora of great activities that left you absolutely breathless. It was young, fun, and membership was growing. Were those the good old days? The last several national AKA events sadly bore closer resemblance to a geriatric ward than to a convention. I thought it was just great to see all of my old friends. What did I do the last several conventions? I hung out at the bar visiting with my friends from long ago, hung out in the lobby talking fish, and hung out outside when I wasn t in the bar or lobby. The signature AKA Field Trips have been missing for the past several years. Field Trips? In all honesty, I couldn t even do a decent job anymore of hanging out until 3 AM at the Convention s notorious Captain Morgan Room. Must your author be honest? He slipped away unnoticed at about 11 PM. I had calcified and become what young friend Chris Butcher calls a geezer in the balcony. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts and Vans bearing Minnesotans! Recalling the 2007 AKA Convention, a van pulled up bearing Minnesotans. The door slid back and in the vanguard, were lovely Jen along with handsome Milo, John Junior, and Craig. Cowering in the back and not coming out was terrified young Laura. Absconding (meaning to make off secretly with) with young Laura; the Group took her from Minneapolis to the 2007 AKA convention. Poor Laura, a character right out of a Puccini Opera, appeared cold and scared. Well Ok maybe not cold after all it was May. Laura was a young beautiful pet store worker who was shepherded by MKKA s Craig Rees and John Aldrich, Jr. She finally became comfortable towards the end of the convention and in fact even made a few friends with harmless (?) old men like Dr. Bob Goldstein and yours truly. But just think, wouldn t she have had a much better time if she had a couple (in their early 20 s) guy friends in the van or at the convention? What s the rest of the story? Poor Laura started to come out of her shell and actually left for the return trip clutching a small bag of Gardneri. In spite of monumental efforts on the part of both Craig and John, poor little Laura never returned to any more Minnesota Killie Keepers functions. Poor Little Laura represented a great start (the field goal). Regrettably, she wasn t retained. What keeps a young person in the club? The answer is simply more young people. Poor little Laura lived at home with her parents. She did not even have a boyfriend we must ask ourselves, what if we had a few young single guys right here in the club. Poor little Laura would have been retained by not only the hobby she loved but by having fun with other young people and a possible boyfriend. Many of our members are friends outside the club. This is important! Page 2

3 I like to keep my killies in a single species community-tank like fashion. Although having some species for a number of years, I have doubts that the fish in the tanks are original. The important thing is that the species is still present in the tank and probably will be there, with proper care, till the end of my days! Please remember that the fish breed, somewhat reduced in numbers, and re-populate the tank. The young fish are the Key to the species survival in the tank. Without the young fish, the species would not survive in the tank! Without the young people the Minnesota Killie Keepers, and the AKA, will not survive. Yes, we don t see it slipping by, but we need young people, for our clubs and hobbies survival. Looking at strengths and weakness, we have a fairly young group Jen, Robin, John Junior, Craig, Milo and others. They can be favorably utilized to attract young people, but to hold them we need other young people. How do we accomplish this? We must do so with a conscious effort on a one on one basis talk to them! We must help them up the steep steps to success by encouraging them and advising them in their killie keeping. Lets all make a conscious effort for the good of OUR organization! Poor little Laura with famed Author Dr. Bob Goldstein Epiplatys dageti monroviae from the 2004 MKKA annual show. Photo by Carter McAninch Page 3

4 Epiplatys dageti monroviae but it has a nice personality by Bob Wolter photo by Gregg Niedzielski One of the true old favorites, and while of recent years it has been crowded out by more showy species, it holds a place in many collections is more true today than when William T. Innes wrote of it in his 1964 edition of Exotic Aquarium Fishes. Innes lists the fish as 2 inches in length and shows the male with a fire red jaw and throat in both his color plate and description. He also notes the pretty extension of the lower portion of the male s caudal fin. Yes, I remember the fish, as a young boy, exactly as Innes described. It was a knockout! Today, the old-timer Epiplatys chaperi has been renamed Epiplatys dageti monroviae; its fire red throat now mostly gone, and its brilliant yellow body wash is now olive to bronze green. What happened? Back in the 1960 s and before, American hobbyists simply did not have the killi skills of their German counterparts. Consequently, many of the killifish went from West Africa to the U.S. via Germany. German breeders, in large part, raised the killifish in U.S. pet shop tanks. So what was the secret? WAKO and CKA member Manfred Schulz, from Germany, attributes the brilliant colors to the preponderance of live foods that the industrious Germans netted and fed to their Killies. When Manfred first came to the U.S., he made his dip-net and scouted out good daphnia collecting ponds. He can no longer net out his live foods. His live foods have been decimated due to all the recent spraying for West Nile Virus. In spite of the loss of his live food collecting locals, Manfred is still doing something right he has many trophies to prove it! The 1960 s pet shop Killifish offerings usually were: 1. Aphyosemion australe too delicate. 2. Aphyosemion (sic) sjoestedti far too expensive 3. Panchax (sic) panchax too plain 4. Epiplatys chaperi (sic) just right!! Page 4

5 Remember, back in High School, when you dated a person of the opposite sex that was not bestowed with the greatest looks. Justification was but he (she) has a nice personality. Understood and all was forgiven right? Epiplatys dageti monroviae, even though no longer sporting the fiery red thorax or the brilliant yellow wash, has a nice personality!!! It is a most peaceful fish in a community tank with malice toward none and charity for all. It minds its own business, swimming near the top of the tank and appreciates floating flake food and a few floating plants to protect it from its more bellicose neighbors. In its very own single species ten-gallon tank, it really shines. The males treat the females kindly and the fish does not actively devour its young. Please do be kind to your miniature charges by providing them with a bare tank painted with black enamel on the sides and bottom. For accoutrements? A couple of spawning mops, plastic plants [I think I just heard Milo gasp-ed] (a couple dabs of Sealastic between the base and a small piece of slate), and a rock or two will make your tank both functional and pretty. A small monthly 20% water change, with a little flake food, white worms, frozen bloodworms, or brine shrimp will do nicely. Although Wildekamp says hatching occurs in about 2 weeks, mine take a bit longer but I do use Acriflaven. You can pick the eggs if you wish, but I have found that the fry are a bit too small for baby brine or micro worms. Perhaps vinegar eels would be OK. I prefer green water, but get the best results by simply leaving the fry in the tank with the parents they always seem to be able to find small enough food to thrive. Don t forget to occasionally buy something at auction that you already have. This gives you the fun of the auction without the worry of greatly increasing tank space. I had recently obtained new Dageti Blood from Chicago Killifish Association President Frank Carriglitto. All of Frank s strains are renowned for their fat stomachs. So now, with the new blood, the offspring are voracious eaters. If you wish to give a place in your collection to a very old friend, a 10 or 15-gallon tank will do nicely. As they breed and fill out your tank you can always net out any excess young for sale or trade. They will look and behave nicely in their little corner of your world. Please remember they have a nice personality. For both personality and historic reasons, I will always maintain Epiplatys dageti monroviae. It really is a NICE FISH! September Club Communications: Club Business: 1). The killie program Jim Gasior will be presenting at the MKKA 15 th annual show on Sunday September 14 th is a power point talk that includes a very extensive (40 plus pages) handout on breeding individual killies. The seminar is entitled "Breeding Tips for Both Annual and Non-Annual Killies". General breeding and maintenance requirements of various fish will be reviewed as well as detailed information on specific species and families of fish. Both those who are new to killies and those who have worked with these fish will find information that will increase their chance of success. In order to have this information available for later reference, an extensive chart on Page 5

6 the breeding and maintenance requirements for hundreds of individual killies will be provided to the audience. 2). Craig Spoke with Advanced Sportswear about the AKA Blue Gularis emblem shirts. They are mailing one that should arrive at my place August 28 so I can see how it turned out. The batch will be ready on Monday after my go ahead. We will be having printed pocket tees & polo shirts (w/collars) in the future. This first batch will be tees only in sizes L, XL, & XXL. Also the 10 defective MKKA shirts will be replaced and ready at the same time. 3). Spoke with the Canterbury Inn August 27 to make sure all is well & locked in for the show. It is. If you are interested in helping set-up on Friday you can show up as early as 9 am. We will pickup all the racks, tanks, & show equipment from Robin s garage on Thursday, September 11 th. We will also touch up the paint on any of the racks that need it. This pre-loading will make it easier on Friday. Then all we will have to do is unload the vehicles & trailer at the Canterbury Inn on Friday morning. As most members know, we have carts and 2- wheelers, and the Canterbury has carts for us to use. There is also an elevator so there is very little carrying involved. Canterbury sets the tables in place for us in the show room. Set-up is pretty much down to a fine science. 4). Craig spoke with Becky at Pets Plus about donations. Becky is getting them ready for us. They would also like to try out killies in their newly remodeled tanks. 5). Craig will have plenty of Fp. gardneri Lafia gold that we can use at the show for any new one-year MKKA membership. A NEW $10 membership gets a free pair of killies. Ironically, no plan on my part, these are the fish that Mike Kromrey had made into the John Alegre award. These are a good hardy, very easy beginner fish. 6). Thank you cards have been mailed to all manufacturers and raffle donators acknowledging that we received their donations & thanking them for their generosity and support. 7). The hospitality room will be at Craig s apartment s Party Room. It is huge and has lots of seating and tables as well as a full kitchen and private bathrooms. Jen has volunteered to be in charge of the food set up thanks Jen! Kudos: John Aldrich stepped up to the plate to do the mailing of a box on behalf of MKKA for the Colorado Killie Show. Thanks for volunteering John!!!!! Fish and Plants Available: 1). MKKA has 2 cases of the soft cover AKA book, The Killifishes Master Index, 4th Edition by Ken Lazara. This book is an annotated checklist, synonymy & bibliography of recent oviparous Cyprinodontiform fishes. The book is 8 1/2" x 11" & 624 pages. All books are brand new and sealed in plastic for only $5.00 a book. me and I can bring one to any of the killie meetings. They will also be available at the September MKKA show. Craig Rees killifish777@comcast.net Upcoming Affiliate Shows: Page 6

7 Wanted: Miscellaneous: Letter from the Colorado Killie Club: WOW! Thanks to the AKA members for our most successful local show ever! We were overwhelmed by mail-in entries for our show. For once, we were behind schedule in registering and benching due to the fabulous response and participation in the KEY program. We received entries from John Aldrich (4); Sandy Binder (5); Chris Butcher (25!); Paul Christ (9); Keith Cook (3); Karl Doering (6); Fred Driscoll (3); Gary Greenwood (10); Mark Htaurly (2); Tom Kean (4); Gary Kukowski (1); Craig Rees (3) and Alan Semeit (2). And this time we thank you for the "GOOD STUFF". We received ocellatum, georgiae, cyanostictum, rare SA's, new nothos (cardinalis, hengstleri, kayuni St Farm). It was fabulous. We had 108 entries overall and there were also auction only donations for a total of 125. Chris Butcher deserves special recognition for sending in 25 entries. Karl Doering and Roger Langton did the judging and it was a tough job with many more entries than we expected. BOS (Best of Show) went to a Fp. Spoorenbergi from Fred Driscoll. The high point of the day was Karl Doering's talk on dirt spawners: great photos and breeding instructions. Our members loved it and learned much. Karl had a way of speaking that was so clear and informational, one of the best talks on Nothos we've ever heard. Thanks Karl. We had a great dinner with lots of good fish talk and then the auction. Our "rookie" auctioneer, Chris Fells, went through maybe 150 items in 45 minutes. Great job Chris! Prices were better than usual as people responded t o the wonderful fish sent in. Low prices on a few items kept the average down to about $6 an item, but the "good stuff" generally went on the $10 to $20 range, much higher than our cheap members usually spend. I need a day or so to get some location misspellings sorted out and we'll get the results posted on the AKA website this week. Checks, trophies and show results will be mailed out to entrants in the next week or two. THANKS for the wonderful support of our show. Edd Kray Conifer, CO Class sponsors 2008 Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 Class 4 Class 5 Shannon Fought Gary Greenwood open Bob Carter Rick Ivik Page 7

8 Class 6 Class 7 Class 8 Class 9 Class 10 Class 11 Class 12 Class 13 Best of Show Jenny Kruckenberg Carter McAninch Craig Rees Mike & Erin Kromrey Milo Squires Frank & Beth Grund John Aldrich Milo Squires MKKA One MKKA 2008 show class sponsorship is still available. Sponsorships are $20 for each class. Your name will be on the award as class sponsor. Sponsorships will help offset some of the show costs. If interested, Craig Rees at killifish777@comcast.net. Directions to Robin s townhouse: Take I 694 to Hwy 252 and go north. Take Hwy 252 to Brookdale Drive (third stop light) and turn left (west). Follow Brookdale Dr to Xerxes Ave (second 4-way stop) and turn right (north). Take Xerxes two blocks to Lad Pkwy and turn left (west). Go past Beard Ave to the second street you can turn on. The sign says Turn left and park in the area near the street. Walk behind the garages. Robin s is on the left side of the driveway, fifth unit up Brookdale Drive Brooklyn Park Directions to Canterbury Inn: Take Highway 169 south to Canterbury Road. You can see the hotel from the highway. It is on the Southwest corner of 169 and Canterbury Rd. Exit West on Canterbury Rd and turn left at the first stop light. For more specific directions go to and click on the directions icon on the left hand side of the page. Canterbury Inn Shakopee Page 8

9 MKKA 2008 Calendar of Events: Saturday April 19, 2008 was at the home of Bruce Cameron. Social time started at 7:00 pm and the meeting started at 7:30 pm Thursday, May 15, 2008 was at the home of Bob Carter Social time started at 7:00 pm and the meeting started at 8:00 pm Thursday, June 19, 2008 was at the home of Milo Squires. Social time starts at 7:00 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm Saturday, July 19, 2008.was at the home of Mike and Erin Kromrey Social time starts at 4:00 pm and the meeting starts at 4:30 pm. Saturday, August 9, 2008 cancelled Tuesday, August 12, 2008: was at the home of Craig Rees Social time starts at 7:00 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm Thursday, September 11, 2008 is the day we will be loading the show equipment from Robin s garage to take to the hotel. We will start around 6 pm. (See above for directions to her townhouse.) We will also touch up the paint on any killie racks that need it. Friday September 12, 2008 is the day we will be doing the show set-up at Canterbury inn in Shakopee. You can come to help anytime after 9 am. We are usually there until around 6 pm (or until everything is done). Please feel free to come and help for as long as you are able. Saturday September 13, 2008 is the 15 th annual MKKA killifish show. The show registration is 8 am to noon. Viewing of fish is from 9 am to 5 pm. Fish room tear down starts at 9 pm. Sunday September 14, 2008 is the fish auction and awards presentation. Auction registration is from 8 am to 11 am. There will be a killie talk by Jim Gasior at 10 am. (See club communications for more details.) The killie auction starts at 11 am. This auction only lasts a couple of hours. It is not an all day auction like MAS has! Thursday, September 18, 2008 is scheduled to be at the home of Robin Engelking. Social time starts at 7:00 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm. This is the post-show meeting Thursday, October 16, 2008 is scheduled to be at the home of Craig Rees. Social time starts at 7:00 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm Thursday, November 20, 2008 is scheduled to be at the home of Jen Kruckenberg. We will take nominations for Board members for the 2009 year Thursday, December 18, 2008 is scheduled to be at the home of Milo Squires. We need to elect officers this month Page 9